Free COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available at four airports in the state starting June 1, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said April 16 as he unveiled plans aimed at bolstering the state’s pandemic-battered tourist industry.
Dunleavy also outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists using federal aid money and said the airport vaccination offering is “probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer.”
The state plans to offer vaccines at airports in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan, the main arrival airports for travelers flying into Alaska, with the clinics outside the security area, said Heidi Hedberg, the state health department’s Division of Public Health director.
Hedberg said officials would do a “soft rollout” at the Anchorage airport for five days in late April, between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m., to work through logistics. The state will use an existing contractor for mobile clinics for the trial run, with the shots offered to Alaskans traveling in or through the airport, she said.
Vaccinations would open more widely to anyone passing through the airports starting June 1, she said. The state has an ample supply of vaccine, Hedberg said.
State health officials also have encouraged travelers to test for COVID-19, though the state no longer requires that.
About 40% of those eligible for a vaccine in Alaska, who are 16 or older, are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department, and health officials have been looking for new ways to encourage more people to get vaccinated.
Alaska was the first state to drop restrictions on who could get a COVID-19 vaccine when last month it opened eligibility to anyone 16 or older who lives or works in the state.
Hedberg said officials are hearing from other states that there is “a lot of vaccine availability,” so if travelers are not still in Alaska when it’s time for their second dose, they can follow up at a clinic or with their provider when they return home, she said. They would need to make sure that if their first dose was with Pfizer, for example, that their second dose is also a Pfizer shot, Hedberg said.
The vaccination program is part of the governor’s broader effort to help repair and restore Alaska’s tourism economy. He also announced a multimillion-dollar tourism advertising campaign, with more details to come later, and said he wants to spend $150 million for economic relief to assist tourism-related businesses.
The relief program would require approval from the Legislature. The advertising campaign would use already-authorized money, according to the governor’s office.
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